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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · band · rest · rush · stem · land · hand · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. land — a country
  6. rest — what's left
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. land — ground
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. land — to come down
  15. band — a music group
  16. wake — a trail
  17. band — a ring
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rest — a break
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com